This zone is busy, bustling with an energy so recognizable it is like the air we breathe. That is why we love it. Comedians want the laugh, dramatic actors want the tear, the empathy and teachers we want the aha! The buzzing sound as the light flickers on. This is our pause, applause, cause.
What we do requires a click. Not only flickering on the comprehension, but also a thread clicking into place. A cord strengthened by eye contact and smiles- fortified by kindness and love, that together knot into the web, of a classroom community. This is our pause, applause, cause.
We tickle the truth, skirt misconception- sometimes we trip over miscommunication and wind up detouring back to recognition. We are in mini-orbits, bubbles of conversation and guidance. It is a beautiful thing to be a part of. We daily drink it all in, taste it. Feel its brisk, smooth texture. This is our pause, applause, cause.
There is a campus of my personality- in our learning forum. We can see for miles and miles. Corresponding divergence. Deliberate and consistent flow. We learn to expect the unexpected. We don't stop to complain, we don't have time. We assess the situation and keep moving forward. We pivot.
We know the only way to chart and fix a vulnerability, cease a misconception, is to expose it first. So we do. We ask lots of questions, we listen, we observe. We bridge gaps, we paint the big picture and leave the dotted lines free for students to shift and redirect. Its difficult to do because exposure means vulnerability- but we take our time. We let our students drink in new information, settle into it, own it. This is our pause, applause, cause.
As we shift into a new abnormal- a unsettled situation, we must breathe- just breathe. Let it sink in. Recognize our vulnerability. Accept our lack of decision making and focus on the choices we do have. We need not to just remember the lyrics of their songs, but write our own. We will be on the front lines as we have always been, but now with added defenses. Now with necessary counter-measures.
I am nervous about going back- but my classroom is my home away from home and I feel the need to defend it. My classroom is my arena, my circus tent, my beach front property. I want to stand on the shores and watch the waves of energy flow, appreciate the current as it stirs inquiry and curiosity. Entertain and intrigue my students. I want to be back in my classroom, yes with some social distancing and precautions- but there nonetheless.
For now, I am listening to their lyrics, tapping my foot to their tune- but soon hopefully, I can start writing my own lyrics and melodies- my own chorus. I can hear the strum of the guitar- just waiting for the pause, applause, cause- for my arena to open to the public once again.
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